Julie Peakman is a historian, author and broadcaster renowned for her work on the history of sexuality. She is author of many books including The Pleasure’s All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex (Reaktion, 2013), Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore (2015) and Amatory Pleasures: Explorations in 18th Century Sexual Cultures (2016). She lives in London.

In twelve wide-ranging chapters, Julie Peakman tackles the history of "abnormal" sex, from Ancient Greece to the present . . . From homosexuality and transvestism, through flagellation and exhibitionism, and on to avisodomy, necrophilia, paedophilia and infibulation, Peakman hurtles forward at a tremendous pace, cataloguing every fetish you've ever heard of, and then some. - The TimesThis seductive book traces changing attitudes to a dozen different sexual perversions from the beginning of Western civilisation to the present day . . . In an ambitious book that unites compelling subject matter with authoritative style, the author does an excellent job of tracking the multiple and changing attitudes towards non-mainstream sexual preferences. The study is enlivened by many telling examples . . . the illustrations within are fabulous. - Times Higher EducationJulie Peakman has explored two millennias worth of strange, abnormal or deviant sexual activity in her new book, The Pleasures All Mine. This first comprehensive history of sexual difference seeks out an abundance of original sources letters, diaries, memoirs, court records, erotic books, medical texts and advice manuals and shows how, for ordinary people, different kinds of sex have always offered a huge choice of different pleasures. There never was a normal. - Erotic ReviewFor those with an erudite interest in debauchery, this latest from author, historian, and sex scholar Peakman is just the ticket . . . Peakman's broad overview is stunning, sweeping, and very carefully non-judgmental. She recounts the history of each so-called perversion from its earliest recorded occurrence through the present, showing how the shifting mores of society color our views on this endlessly fascinating subject . . . Exhaustively researched and packed with startling images, this work is a fact-filled, entertaining read for sex history neophytes and scholars alike. - Library JournalThroughout history, sexual norms have shifted drastically: an act that is seen as deviant at one time may be widely accepted at another. Peakman argues that sexual acts have not changed much through the ages, but the cultural response to them has. Today, discussions about sexual preferences are still taboo in many parts of the world, and many opinions are still colored by society's long-held beliefs . . . This is a history for the general reader, primarily covering Western thought it's also a wonderful reference source for sexual studies and research . . . Peakman asks readers to think about how society dictates their own opinions, and her work helps pave the way for more open discussions of sexuality in the future. - Publishers Weeklybeautifully illustrated and hugely informative . . . meticulously researched and immensely interesting, The Pleasures All Mine is superbly intriguing in a delightfully wicked way. With humour, wit and a huge pinch of humanity, the author lifts the veil on the history of perversion and the biological reasons behind our distaste for unusual sexual antics. - Irish ExaminerLike many readers I thought I knew quite a bit about this subject! The first few chapters were familiar accounts of sex in the Greco-Roman era . . . But later chapters were revelatory. I didn't understand the physiognomy behind auto-asphyxiation but now certainly do. - Charlotte Raven, The IndependentJulie Peakman's latest addition to her already considerable output on sexology makes for an enthralling (and occasionally deeply disturbing) read. It is certainly not a book for the easily offended or squeamish, being graphically illustrated with depictions of many sexual perversions . . . a meticulous review of societal and cultural intolerance of various sexual practices and the many changes over time with regard to what has been considered normal . . . thoroughly recommend the book. - Law, Crime and History JournalI recommend The Pleasures All Mine wholeheartedly. It is crisply and cleanly written, covers a wealth of material from difficult to find sources, is rigorously researched, and packages all of that in a big beautiful book with 178 wonderful illustrations. I will return to this book again and again as a wonderful resource and, frankly, simply for the pleasure of it. - Metapsychologya substantial, well-illustrated, funny, and thoughtful work that shows how changeable through the times are our discomforts that other people are enjoying sex in the wrong way. - The DispatchThe author uses an array of primary sources to uncover the most hidden aspects of something considered so private. A thorough history of sexual stigmas, this book will prove especially useful to undergraduate and graduate students interested in the study of sexuality and culture. General readers will find the book entertaining. Recommended. - ChoiceCovering the history of sex and perceived deviances including ideas around masturbation, homosexuality, sadomasochism, bestiality, transsexualism and more, Peakman opens ones eyes to how different these ideas have been over time and the influences of religion, politics and sexism on peoples sexual freedom. - Full Scream.comSerious, historically informed, and as close to an exhaustive account as we are likely ever to see of the extravagant creativity that humans have invested in sex. A masterpiece. - Thomas W. Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor in the Department of History, University of California, Berkeley

Julie Peakman is a historian, author and broadcaster renowned for her work on the history of sexuality. She is author of many books including The Pleasure’s All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex (Reaktion, 2013), Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore (2015) and Amatory Pleasures: Explorations in 18th Century Sexual Cultures (2016). She lives in London.

In twelve wide-ranging chapters, Julie Peakman tackles the history of "abnormal" sex, from Ancient Greece to the present . . . From homosexuality and transvestism, through flagellation and exhibitionism, and on to avisodomy, necrophilia, paedophilia and infibulation, Peakman hurtles forward at a tremendous pace, cataloguing every fetish you've ever heard of, and then some. - The TimesThis seductive book traces changing attitudes to a dozen different sexual perversions from the beginning of Western civilisation to the present day . . . In an ambitious book that unites compelling subject matter with authoritative style, the author does an excellent job of tracking the multiple and changing attitudes towards non-mainstream sexual preferences. The study is enlivened by many telling examples . . . the illustrations within are fabulous. - Times Higher EducationJulie Peakman has explored two millennias worth of strange, abnormal or deviant sexual activity in her new book, The Pleasures All Mine. This first comprehensive history of sexual difference seeks out an abundance of original sources letters, diaries, memoirs, court records, erotic books, medical texts and advice manuals and shows how, for ordinary people, different kinds of sex have always offered a huge choice of different pleasures. There never was a normal. - Erotic ReviewFor those with an erudite interest in debauchery, this latest from author, historian, and sex scholar Peakman is just the ticket . . . Peakman's broad overview is stunning, sweeping, and very carefully non-judgmental. She recounts the history of each so-called perversion from its earliest recorded occurrence through the present, showing how the shifting mores of society color our views on this endlessly fascinating subject . . . Exhaustively researched and packed with startling images, this work is a fact-filled, entertaining read for sex history neophytes and scholars alike. - Library JournalThroughout history, sexual norms have shifted drastically: an act that is seen as deviant at one time may be widely accepted at another. Peakman argues that sexual acts have not changed much through the ages, but the cultural response to them has. Today, discussions about sexual preferences are still taboo in many parts of the world, and many opinions are still colored by society's long-held beliefs . . . This is a history for the general reader, primarily covering Western thought it's also a wonderful reference source for sexual studies and research . . . Peakman asks readers to think about how society dictates their own opinions, and her work helps pave the way for more open discussions of sexuality in the future. - Publishers Weeklybeautifully illustrated and hugely informative . . . meticulously researched and immensely interesting, The Pleasures All Mine is superbly intriguing in a delightfully wicked way. With humour, wit and a huge pinch of humanity, the author lifts the veil on the history of perversion and the biological reasons behind our distaste for unusual sexual antics. - Irish ExaminerLike many readers I thought I knew quite a bit about this subject! The first few chapters were familiar accounts of sex in the Greco-Roman era . . . But later chapters were revelatory. I didn't understand the physiognomy behind auto-asphyxiation but now certainly do. - Charlotte Raven, The IndependentJulie Peakman's latest addition to her already considerable output on sexology makes for an enthralling (and occasionally deeply disturbing) read. It is certainly not a book for the easily offended or squeamish, being graphically illustrated with depictions of many sexual perversions . . . a meticulous review of societal and cultural intolerance of various sexual practices and the many changes over time with regard to what has been considered normal . . . thoroughly recommend the book. - Law, Crime and History JournalI recommend The Pleasures All Mine wholeheartedly. It is crisply and cleanly written, covers a wealth of material from difficult to find sources, is rigorously researched, and packages all of that in a big beautiful book with 178 wonderful illustrations. I will return to this book again and again as a wonderful resource and, frankly, simply for the pleasure of it. - Metapsychologya substantial, well-illustrated, funny, and thoughtful work that shows how changeable through the times are our discomforts that other people are enjoying sex in the wrong way. - The DispatchThe author uses an array of primary sources to uncover the most hidden aspects of something considered so private. A thorough history of sexual stigmas, this book will prove especially useful to undergraduate and graduate students interested in the study of sexuality and culture. General readers will find the book entertaining. Recommended. - ChoiceCovering the history of sex and perceived deviances including ideas around masturbation, homosexuality, sadomasochism, bestiality, transsexualism and more, Peakman opens ones eyes to how different these ideas have been over time and the influences of religion, politics and sexism on peoples sexual freedom. - Full Scream.comSerious, historically informed, and as close to an exhaustive account as we are likely ever to see of the extravagant creativity that humans have invested in sex. A masterpiece. - Thomas W. Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor in the Department of History, University of California, Berkeley

Julie Peakman is a historian, author and broadcaster renowned for her work on the history of sexuality. She is author of many books including The Pleasure’s All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex (Reaktion, 2013), Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore (2015) and Amatory Pleasures: Explorations in 18th Century Sexual Cultures (2016). She lives in London.

In twelve wide-ranging chapters, Julie Peakman tackles the history of "abnormal" sex, from Ancient Greece to the present . . . From homosexuality and transvestism, through flagellation and exhibitionism, and on to avisodomy, necrophilia, paedophilia and infibulation, Peakman hurtles forward at a tremendous pace, cataloguing every fetish you've ever heard of, and then some. - The TimesThis seductive book traces changing attitudes to a dozen different sexual perversions from the beginning of Western civilisation to the present day . . . In an ambitious book that unites compelling subject matter with authoritative style, the author does an excellent job of tracking the multiple and changing attitudes towards non-mainstream sexual preferences. The study is enlivened by many telling examples . . . the illustrations within are fabulous. - Times Higher EducationJulie Peakman has explored two millennias worth of strange, abnormal or deviant sexual activity in her new book, The Pleasures All Mine. This first comprehensive history of sexual difference seeks out an abundance of original sources letters, diaries, memoirs, court records, erotic books, medical texts and advice manuals and shows how, for ordinary people, different kinds of sex have always offered a huge choice of different pleasures. There never was a normal. - Erotic ReviewFor those with an erudite interest in debauchery, this latest from author, historian, and sex scholar Peakman is just the ticket . . . Peakman's broad overview is stunning, sweeping, and very carefully non-judgmental. She recounts the history of each so-called perversion from its earliest recorded occurrence through the present, showing how the shifting mores of society color our views on this endlessly fascinating subject . . . Exhaustively researched and packed with startling images, this work is a fact-filled, entertaining read for sex history neophytes and scholars alike. - Library JournalThroughout history, sexual norms have shifted drastically: an act that is seen as deviant at one time may be widely accepted at another. Peakman argues that sexual acts have not changed much through the ages, but the cultural response to them has. Today, discussions about sexual preferences are still taboo in many parts of the world, and many opinions are still colored by society's long-held beliefs . . . This is a history for the general reader, primarily covering Western thought it's also a wonderful reference source for sexual studies and research . . . Peakman asks readers to think about how society dictates their own opinions, and her work helps pave the way for more open discussions of sexuality in the future. - Publishers Weeklybeautifully illustrated and hugely informative . . . meticulously researched and immensely interesting, The Pleasures All Mine is superbly intriguing in a delightfully wicked way. With humour, wit and a huge pinch of humanity, the author lifts the veil on the history of perversion and the biological reasons behind our distaste for unusual sexual antics. - Irish ExaminerLike many readers I thought I knew quite a bit about this subject! The first few chapters were familiar accounts of sex in the Greco-Roman era . . . But later chapters were revelatory. I didn't understand the physiognomy behind auto-asphyxiation but now certainly do. - Charlotte Raven, The IndependentJulie Peakman's latest addition to her already considerable output on sexology makes for an enthralling (and occasionally deeply disturbing) read. It is certainly not a book for the easily offended or squeamish, being graphically illustrated with depictions of many sexual perversions . . . a meticulous review of societal and cultural intolerance of various sexual practices and the many changes over time with regard to what has been considered normal . . . thoroughly recommend the book. - Law, Crime and History JournalI recommend The Pleasures All Mine wholeheartedly. It is crisply and cleanly written, covers a wealth of material from difficult to find sources, is rigorously researched, and packages all of that in a big beautiful book with 178 wonderful illustrations. I will return to this book again and again as a wonderful resource and, frankly, simply for the pleasure of it. - Metapsychologya substantial, well-illustrated, funny, and thoughtful work that shows how changeable through the times are our discomforts that other people are enjoying sex in the wrong way. - The DispatchThe author uses an array of primary sources to uncover the most hidden aspects of something considered so private. A thorough history of sexual stigmas, this book will prove especially useful to undergraduate and graduate students interested in the study of sexuality and culture. General readers will find the book entertaining. Recommended. - ChoiceCovering the history of sex and perceived deviances including ideas around masturbation, homosexuality, sadomasochism, bestiality, transsexualism and more, Peakman opens ones eyes to how different these ideas have been over time and the influences of religion, politics and sexism on peoples sexual freedom. - Full Scream.comSerious, historically informed, and as close to an exhaustive account as we are likely ever to see of the extravagant creativity that humans have invested in sex. A masterpiece. - Thomas W. Laqueur, Helen Fawcett Distinguished Professor in the Department of History, University of California, Berkeley